braselton



C.y H. BRASELTON.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10,19|5.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

IN VEN TOR.

CHESTER H. BRASELTON, 0F DAYTON, OHIO.

SHOE.

aecomo.

Application led April 10, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHESTER H. BRAsEL- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which I declare the following to be' a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to shoes or similar wearing apparel for the feet.

An object of the invention is to improve the construction and service of shoes as by increasing their wearing or moisture-proof qualities.

Another object of the invention is to cheapeii the cost of such wearing' apparel by allowing less expensive or inferior material to be used.

I accomplish the above objects in one instance by incorporating in a shoe a metallic coating, film oi' layer which adheres strongly to or impregnates the surfaces to which it is applied. I have found that such a closely adhering coating, film or layer may be incorporated by fusing the metal and blowing the same by a blast of gas in the form of a spray against the surface to which the coating, film or layer is to be applied. Where the prime consideration is to iinprove the wearing qualities of the shoe, this metallic coating, film or layer may be applied to exposed surfaces of the shoe, such as the bottom and edges of the sole and, if desired, upon the upper. Where:l the prime lconsideration 'is to render the shoejmpistureproof, I. accomplish this by interposing this metallic coating, film or layer at 'any place in the path which moisture may# take to gain access to the interior of the shoe.- The coating, film or layer may be as thick as desired but I'prefer not to make it so thick as to interfere with or decrease the natural flexibility of the shoe.

My invention further consists in some details of construction .and combination of parts as will-hereinafter more fully appear from the detailed description taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification and in Figure 1. is an elevation of a: Shoe of the Spiecication of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 20,474.

Fig. 3. is another view of a shoe in the process of applying a metallic coating or film, parts being broken away to better bring out the construction.

Fig. 4. is a section on the line b-b of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5. is an elevation of a shoe with the sole partly torn away, showing a layer of flexible material carrying a metallic coating or film and inserted between the sole and the welt of the shoe.

InlFig. 1. 1 indicates the upper of a shoe provided with a sole 2 and a heel 3. This shoe is shown coated with a thin layer of metal, preferably metal such as copper or aluminum to make the shoe moisture proof and to protect it. At l a portion of this very 'thin coating of metal is broken away showing the leather 5 beneath. All or any part of the shoe, as desired, may be coated w ith a firmly adhering coating of metal such as copper or aluminum or any other metal without affecting the flexibility of the shoe detriinentally. In Fig. 2 the shoe of Fig. 1 is shown in section, 1 being the usual upper over the foot, 7 the insole within the shoe and 8 the usual welt. A filler 9 isv preferably between the insole 7 and the heavy main sole 2 of the shoe. After these parts of a shoe are assembled as shown in the cross section and the shoe thoroughly clean .from any oil or grease a metallic coating, film or layer is applied to the shoe as by placing it in thepath of a spray formed'of liquid .carried by `a block 12, the lower endof which rod is heated by torch 13 so that it will form in liquid drops at the lower end. A nozzle lfl conducts thegas under pressure past the lower end of the rod 11 so that the blast of gas will break up the drops of melted metal,- as they forni, into a spray and blow the minute particles against the surface of anything interposed in the path. In Fig. 2. 15 -is a thin film of metal shown continuous around the exterior of the shoe and it will be seen that,'since this film so strongly adheres and becomes a permanent part of the leather or other material of the shoe, this film will have to be broken or worn away somewherel before there is any possibility of water getting into the leather sole of the Patented Nova, i919. i

course, only the sole of the shoe may be coated or possibly, also, it will be desirable to extend the coating up above the place where the welt 8 engages the upper 6 as this is a place through'which water more readily gains admission into the inside of the shoe to dampen the foot. If the spraying of the upper, except near the welt, is eliminated, the appearance of the shoe will not be materially changed from the usual. Of course if the shoe is sprayed throughout any desired color can be given the shoe depending upon the metal sprayed on top of the leather or this metallic coating can be finished in any manner. It may be blued or painted as desired.

It will be observed that the shoe of Figs.- 1 and 2 will be in a sense fire proof so far as its exterior is concerned being wholly coated with metal and the shoe if desired may be likewise coated on the inside.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I show a shoe with its upper 16 having its lower-edges come beneath an insole 17 and upon top andjwithin.

the edges of the welt 18. A filler 19 is located beneath the insole 17 and within the welt 18. After the upper is sewed to the welt 18 and the filler interposed I may ap# ply to the lower surfaces of the welts 18 and the edges of upper 16 kand filling 19 a continuous film of metal .20 to completely' exclude moisture from getting through the. filler 19 and insole 17. After this film of metal 20 has been applied across the lower surface of the welts 18 .and the filler 19 the.

main sole 21 may be sewed in place in the usual manner the needle working through the thin film of metal 20 as readily as` through the material of the shoe. This main sole 21 may bethe only sole of the shoe or it may be covered on its bottom with a thin film of metal 22' and then another sole 23v sewed in place. The -number of soles and thickness depends, of course, upon the service that the shoe is supposed to give and ,in fact the numberof coatings of metal at the bottom of a shoe depends upon the conditions desired to be obtained. Probably in most cases one coating will be sufficient as it can be made asthick as desired consistent with flexibility. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a coating 24 forming a filmof metal completely surrounding the edges and bottom ofthe shoe sole and extending up at 25 over the welting seam to form a water tight connection between the welt and upper at their point of connection. Of course all .the places shown coated with metal do not 'need to be, as they are shown merely-as illustrative, asvarious different locations of the coating of metal to'. give the desired service may be held.l 1

In Fig. 3 the bottom of the two soles with the metal coatings` are shown broken away at places. In this figure 23 corresponds to not well adhere.

the bottom sole of Fig. 4', this being covered with a thin layer of-sprayed metal 24 broken away at the line 26 to show the soleJ 23 beneath. rThis sole 23 ,and its coating 24 is broken away on the, line 27 to show metallic coating 22 on the surface of the upper sole of leather 21 the coating Q22 being broken away at the line 28 to show beneath it the leather of the sole 21. The upper sole 2 1 l seldom that moisture gains access to the foot at thisr point, and this may be inadvisable in most cases. However, wherever the metal coating is applied to form a seal between the -I upper and the welt or between the upper and sole I consider it advisable to extend this I find that this vis a good thing to do as it improves the wearing qualities of the leather or other material of a shoe to form a film of metal of such thickness desired on lthe wearing surface, this'being applied by my process which embeds the metal and causes its tiny particles to penetrate into the pores of the leather and adhere strongly'thereto. This application toughens the material of a shoe at the surface, Wherever applied, thus improving its wearing qualities.

Inv Fig. 5 I- illustrate a shoe having the sole torn away from the upper and the welt.: In this View' I have shown the idea. of placing the sheet of metal coated material 31. between the welt 32 of the Vshoe and the sole 33.- This lmaterial may be a. piece of leather l not wool which is notVV perfectly clean to whichthe metal applied by my process does It, is advisable however, that. the material, when being coated', be very clean and if leather, free from oil or grease. Besides using this metallic coating merely as a moisture protectingcoating or as protection against wear I can also use it .to fasten two or more-parts of the shoe to- 12o well coat a cloth top shoe so-long as it is,

40 this way it is possible to eliminate practically all sewing or nailing of the parts of 'the shoe together andyet they will be' fas-- surface of both of thema continuous film,

- serving as a means ofholding the parts to- -2 and 4 it will be 'seen that jacent surfaces gether. For example in the shoes shown the outside of the upper will Ibe held to the welt by the film of metal applied to their joining surfaces. Also by referring to Figs. by shortening the welt 1& so that the inner edge of the upper extends farther in than the welt as shown in Fig. 4,

of 'both the WeltV and the edge of the upper, the upper will be securely fastened tothe welt as well as to thefillings 9 and 19 by va continuous film of lmetal as thick as desired for strength and in a thoroughly moisture proof manner. At the same time the surrounding film of metal 25 `will also hold more firmly the upper to the welt. Furthermore the film of metal S25 at the edges of the sole of the shoe may be made sufficiently strong to securelyi4 hold the sole vor soles`to the Welt. In 'fact by leaving a space between the filler 19 and the inside edges of the welt so that the insole 17 willbe exposed from the bottom of the shoe .when the soles are both removed, the insole will also be fastened securely in place by a continuous respective points these film of metal extending over the various exposed surfaces including the bottom of the welt 18, edges of the upper 16, bottom of the filler A19 and the exposed insole 17 all by a continuous ilm of metal adhering to, at various parts. ln fact I can fasten any of viding suflicient surface on each part to be joined sothat a continuous metal film joining the two will have a sufficient hold of lboth surfaces of the parts to be joined. ln

sired toy fasten the various parts of the shoe together by sewing or nailing this operation can be done'rightl through the film of metal.

I wish it. to be understood that l may wat the leather or material of the shoe before being applied to the shoe if desired, the shoe then being made in the usual manner. However, l prefer to coat the parts of a shoe when assembled in order to better secure against leakage of water.. .In making a shoe vas per my invention it must be understood that the coating is notv a loose coating but is forced into the pores ofthe material so as to become embedded firmly 4therein and form a basis for -the building up of a thicker coating. l find, in praci'ipon, so intimately connected therewith as to be inseparable therefrom when .properly and then by coating the ad- By the two parts of ay shoe .together without sewing merely by prothe inetalucoating be-` comes infact a part of the material coated applied, there being no space between the coating and the material coated for moisture to creep through. Upon this fact largely depend the high qualities ofthe shoe so yInadeas regards moisture excluding. It is apparentthat deterioration of soles of shoes and other leather parts is greatly increased by the leather becoming soaked with moisture at various times in use. A shoe m'ade in accordance with this -invention will have greatly `reduced moisture resulting troubles and likewise its service greatly increased. With this advantage itis of course obvious that a much cheaper grade of leather or other shoe material can be used for the shoe yet retaining asgreat a wearing quality in the shoe.

l wish it to be distinctly understood that where l referred to shoes in this specification/ll meanv this term in a-generic sense so -as to cover as well boots or rubbers which are likewise of course susceptible for construction in accordance with this invention.

l y By the 'term upper or upper portion?,

lower portion, ll mean that part of the .shoe which is normally disposed beneath the foot of the wearer. ln my use of the term sole, l mean to include not only the main bottom sole but also the insole and similar parts lbetween the main sole and the insole. the `term metal, l mean any substance or. material having metallic characteristics. The process of making shoes disclosed here- By the term bottom or in is reserved and will be claimed in a divisional application.

vlVhile l have described various forms of construction and detailed applications of my process l want itto be understood that they aremerely illustrative as l do not wish to be limited to the details thereof except as required by the scope of the appended claims.

.Various modifications will no doubt readily occur to thoseski-lled in the art all coming within thescope of my invention.

Having described my invention what l claim asnewand desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

l. In an article of foot apparel, the combination with the apparel of a fiexible film of metal impregnating and intimately asso-` ciated with the material of said apparel.

2. 1n an article of foot apparel, a lsole having applied thereto a flexible filmof metal Aimpregnating and intimately associated with the material of the sole. 4

. `.3. 'In an article of foot apparel, an upper for surrounding the foot and a bottom attached tothe bottom of the upper and hav- "ing extending ,across it a flexible film of meti impregnating and intimately associated'with the material of the bottom.

i `4.'Ipn an article of .foot apparel, an-up'- per, an insole within the upper, filling material below theinsole, and a flexible film of metal impregnating and intimatelyassociated with the'lower surfaces vof the upper, insole and filling material.

5. In an article of foot apparel, the combination of an upper, welt, and filling .material within the welt and a flexible film of metal impregnating and intimately associated with the lower surfaces of the welt,

upper and filling material Eto unite the same together..A

6. In an article of foot apparel, a sole v covered on its exposed surface by a flexible film of metal impregnating land intimately associated with the material of said sole.

7. In an article of foot apparel, an upper and lower portion, said portions being fastened together by a flexible film of metal im` pregnating and intimately associated with adjacent surfaces of the upper and lower 'v v portions.4

l soleand upper to '60 8. In an y'article of foot apparel, a Vflexible film of metal extending across the lower 'portion of said apparel and impregnating and intimately associated with the material thereof.' i

9. A shoe comprising an upper, a welt, and insole, a filler on the bottom of the in sole, and a filmof metal covering the bottom surface of the welt and. filler, the edge of. the'upper'and the between substance of theinsole, said film of metal being intimatelyl associated with the material of such part of the shoe and being of sufficient density and thickness to firmly unite such parts and renderthe bottom of the shoe waterproof.

' l10. In an article of foot apparel, an upper, a sole, and a flexible layer of metal between the upper and the sole and adapted to flex with the sole, said flexible layer im-` pregnating and intimately associated with one of said parts.

11. In an article of foot apparel, two sole portions and a film of metal between the same and adapted to flex therewlth, said film'impregnating and intimately associatedwith one .of said sole port1ons.

12. Iny an article of foot apparel, the combination of contacting parts and a film of metalimpregnating and intimately 'assof ciated with such parts at their place of contact and adjacent'thereto ltoseal the same. 13. In an article of foot apparel, the combination of a sole, an upper, and a flexible film of metal impregnating and intimately associated with adjacent portions of said seal the .joint between them.

14. In an article of foot apparel, the comi l bination ofa welt. an insole and a flexible film of metal impregnating and intimately associated with portions of said welt and 1nsole.

l5. In an article of foot apparel, the come' binationof an upper, a welt, a sole and a film of metal impregnatmg and .intimately associated with adjacent edges of said upper, welt and sole to seal the joints between the Same,

16. In an article of foot apparel, the combination of 'a welt, a filler within the welt .and a flexible film of metal impregnating and intimately associated with the lower surfaces of said welt and filler.

- 17. In an article of fo'ot apparel, the combination of andnsole, a welt, afiller within I 20. .In an article of foot apparel, the coinbination of an upper, a welt and a flexible film of metal impregnating portions of said welt and upper.

21. In an article of foot apparel, the combination of an upper, an insole, and a flexible film of metal impregnating portions 'of said upper and insol 22. In an article of foot apparel, the comv bination of an insole, a filler beneath said insole and a flexible film of metal impregnating 'portions 0f said fillerand insole.

23. In an article of foot apparel, the com-'- bination of an upper, a welt, a filler withinthe welt and a flexible film of lmetal impregnating portions of said upper and filler.

24. In an article of Vfoot apparel, a sole and a layer of material having one surface thereof impregnated by a flexible metallic film extending parallel to saidsole.

25. In an article of foot' apparel, a' sole and a layer of material 'carrying a flexible metallic film impregnating one surface thereof, said film extending parallelto and lying above the main sole.

26. An article of foot apparel comprising the combination of an upper, a bottom, and

a flexible metallic film incorporated in' said bottom and impregnating'portions thereof.. i 27.'. In an article of foot apparehga soleV covered on its exposed .surface by a flexible metallic film impregnating vand intimately associated with' said Surface.

, 28. In an article of foot apparel thecom-f bination of an insole, a covering for a portion of said insole and a' flexible'metallicl film impregnating and intimately associated 4with said covering. 29. In an apparel for the foot, a flexible' film of metal intimately associated with a portion of the apparel, the particles of said lm directly adhering to said portion of the apparel.

30. An article of foot apparel having parts thereof coated with a iexible metallic film adhering directly to the surface of the apparel. j

31. In an article of foot apparel, a sole and a layer of material having one surface thereof carrying a flexible metallic film adhering directly thereto and extending parallel to said sole.

32. In an article 'of foot apparel, the combination of an upper and a sole with a coherent ieXible film of protective material intimatelyassociated in impacted relation therewith to form a'water proof joint between the sole and upper.

. CHESTER H.v BRASEL'ION. Witnesses R. B. MUNDAY, G. T. HEINZ. 

